Photographic dye diffusion transfer process

Abstract

For the production of cyan and magenta images by the dye diffusion transfer process dye-providing compounds of the formula I are suitable ##STR1## in which A=an oxydizable carrier residue containing a diffusion-preventing radical; n= 0 or 1; P=a monocyclic aromatic radical; M=hydrogen, halogen, alkyl sulfonyl, aryl sulfonyl or sulfamoyl; Q=acylamino; R 1 =hydrogen or a hydrolyzable radical.

We claim: 
     
       1. In a photographic dye diffusion transfer process for the production of coloured images, in which a photographic material comprising at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer and, associated therewith, a non-diffusible dye-providing compound is exposed imagewise, developed under alkaline conditions with a silver halide developer, a diffusible dye being released imagewise from the non-diffusible dye-providing compound under the alkaline development conditions of the developer and being transferred to an image-receiving layer and thereafter neutralizing the alkaline condition thereby terminating development and diffusion of the dye, the improvement according to which the non-diffusible dye-providing compound is a compound corresponding to the following formula: ##STR56## in which A represents an oxidizable organic carrier radical attached to the remainder of the formula optionally through a connecting link X and containing a diffusion-preventing radical, of which carrier radical either in its oxidized form or in its non-oxidized form at least a part thereof is split off together with the diffusion-preventing radical under the alkaline photographic development conditions, accompanied by the imagewise release of a diffusible azo dye, n=0 or 1,   P represents a monocyclic carbocyclic aromatic or heterocyclic aromatic radical,   M represents hydrogen, halogen, alkyl sulfonyl, aryl sulfonyl, or sulphamoyl,   Q represents acylamino, the acyl radical being derived from aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic or sulphonic acids,   R 1  represents hydrogen or a hydrolysable radical corresponding to one of the formulae --CO--R 2  or --CO--OR 2 , and   R 2  represents alkyl containing from 1 to 18 carbon atoms or phenyl.   
     
     
       2. A process as claimed in claim 1, in which the non-diffusible dye-providing compound used is a compound corresponding to one of the following formulae: ##STR57## in which, A, M, Q and R 1  are as defined in claim 1 and in which D, E are the same or different and represent hydrogen, halogen, cyano, nitro, trifluoromethyl, alkyl, alkoxy or sulfamoyl, F represents hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, halogen, nitro or sulfamoyl,   J represents --SO 2  -- or --CO--,   R 3  represents hydrogen or alkyl containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms,   X represents a divalent connecting link of the formula --R 4  --(L) p  --(R 4 ) q  -- where R 4  is an alkylene radical containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an optionally substituted phenylene radical, the two radicals R 4  being the same or different,   L represents --O--, --CO--, --CONR 5  --, --SO 2  --NR 5  --, --SO 2  --, --SO-- or --S-- (R 5  =H or alkyl), m, p, q, r=0 or 1; and q=1 when p=1.